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(No Mode l.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 4 G. L. K. MORROW 1 MOWING MACHINE.

NO. 447,342. Patented Mar. 3., 1891.

llllllifillll'lllli (Kii'ModeL) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G. L- K. MORROW. MOWING MACHINE.

No. 447,342. Patented Mar. 3, 1891.

WITNESSES .Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. K. MORROYV, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO DEXTER M.

FERRY, OI SAME PLACE.

MOWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,342, dated March 3, 1891. Application filed January 29, 1886. Serial No. 190,204. (No model.) I

To all 1071,0772, it nutty concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. K. MORROW, of Detroit, county of lVayne, State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mowing-Machines; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as Willenableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention consists of the combinations of devices and appliances hereinafter specified, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1,is a view in rear elevation of a mower embodying my invention. right-hand wheel and the finger-bar removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 a rear elevation, illustrating my improved mechanism forlifting the finger-bar. Fig. 5 is a separate view of the spring which is connected with the lifting-lever.

This device is designed as an improvement upon that patented to W. F. Oochrane, October 7, 1884, No. 306,321, for harvesters, and Patent No. 255,939, patented April at, 1882, to same party, for mowing-machines.

In carrying out my invention, A are the wheels.

B is the axle, and C the pole, of the machine.

D is the mainframe, which rocks on the axle and supports the operative parts, the portion D constituting the gear-case.

E is the finger-bar.

F is the shoe, and F is the tilting-lever.

G is the hollow radial arm through which the shaft passes, communicating motion from the axle to the cutter-bar.

G is the stay rod or brace engaged with the lower end of the radial arm in any proper manner and with the main frame. As so arranged, the main frame, the radial arm, and

the said brace form a rigid triangle.

H is a combined foot-board and pole-socket; I, the seat, and J the lifting-lever.

The shoe F has a wheel f and an arm F, terminating in a tenon f, which passes through a segmental slottedguide F on the main frame, concentric with the ball-and- Fig. 2 is a side elevation with the arm. The tilting lever F is connected with this tenon by a rod f This lever traverses a ratchet-bar f and may be fixed in any positionby an adjustable pawl f By this means the shoe is tilted about the wheel f as a fulcrum, and the operation is effected with great ease and with slight power exerted upon the lever F thereby giving to the cutter-bar any desired elevation. I prefer, also, to provide a wheel 6 at the outer extremity of the cutter-bar, adjacent to the swather, to operate in conjunction with that at the shoe. Theradial arm G is strongly braced and strengthened by the stay-rod G, connecting the lower part of said arm with the main frame, Which greatly relieves the strain upon the radial arm itself, prevents binding at the segmental guide, and prevents in a large degree vibrations which would otherwise arise in use.

The combined foot-board and pole-socket H is attached to the main frame by eyebolts it. These eyebolts constitute a very simple and effective attachment, giving to the main socket joint at the lower end of the radial frame and the foot-board and pole-sockets all the relative motions which are necessary between the two, possessing great strength and being easily replaced in case of breakage, or separated in case it is desired to take the machine apart.

The seat I is supported directly from the foot-board by means of the usual support 1 and braces I extend from beneath the seat down beyond the extremities of the gear-case and are secured adjacent to the eyebolts, and preferably by the said eyebolts that are fastened to the foot-board and pole-socket, as shown more particularly in Fig. 2. This construction, which makes the seat-braces entirely independent of the gear-case, enables the operator to open and close the gear-case while seated upon his seat, or in any event without disturbing the seat.

The lifting-lever J is pivoted to combined foot-board and pole-socket and has projecting therefrom as the short arm of the lever a segmental guide J, to which is connected and which serves to guide the lifting-chain J which said chain is attached to the shoe. This lever J is provided with the usual spring pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, comprising the thumb-piece j, pawl j, and ratchet j for holding the lever in any desired position. The spring J 3 is so connected with the lever, as shown more particularly in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, that when the lever is thrown forward so as to drop the shoe onto the ground the spring is subject to strong tension. Now, when it is desired to lift the shoe, the operator seizes the lever J, and releasing its pawl j, draws the lever back toward him, while the spring J 3 in rccoiling assists largely to lift the shoe, making the lifting operation to be attended with very slight exertion on the part of the operator.

1 have found in use that a machine constructed as herein shown and described is of light draft, its gearing is convenient of access, its parts are simple and strong, while on the part of the operator it requires very little effort to tilt the cutter-bar and its shoe by means of the tilting-lever, and the spring connected with the lifting-lever performs a large share of the labor of lifting the cutterbar and its shoe from the ground, while the stay rod or brace serves to give steadiness of motion without vibrations, and relieves strains which were liable to break or bind the machine before the stay-rod was applied.

The object in making the segmental guide F concentric with the ball-and-socket joint at the base of the radial arm is as follows: \Vhenever the tilting-lever is drawn back for the purpose of tilting the shoe and the cutterbar, the tilting-arm F is depressed and the tilting operation takes place about the wheel f as a fulcrum. It is therefore apparent that if the guide F were otherwise than concentric with said ball-and-socket joint this change of position could not take place without binding at the said joint.

The spring J I prefer to be in the form of a coiled spring, as shown, although it is not absolutely essential that it should be in this form, and I prefer to provide adjusting mech anism, whereby the spring can be adjusted to any desired tension, as shown more particularly in Fig. 5. The inner end of this spring is attached to a pin j" projecting from the lever J.

The adjusting mechanism consists of a series of orifices in one end of the spring J whereby the tension of the spring can be ad justed by a variation of its length, which is effected by fastening the outer end of the spring to the combined foot-board and polesocket by a pin j passing through any one of the series of orifices, as may be desired.

What I claim is 1. The combination, with the main frame, of a radial arm inclined downward and laterally from a point at or near the middle of the axle toward one of the wheels, and a stay-rod or brace G, connected with the lower end of the radial arm and with said frame,said brace extending back from the lower extremity of the arm directly to the main frame in the plane or substantially in the vertical plane of the draft, substantially as described. 7

2. The combination, with the main frame provided with a lever for raising the cutting apparatus and with a radial arm, of a footboard and pole-socket united therewith adjacent to the axle by eyebolt connections, whereby the main frame is permitted to rotate when the radial arm is raised or lowered without disturbing the foot-board or axle, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the foot-board, of a seat-support and seat-braces 1', extending over the gear-case cover and secured at their extremities to the foot-board, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the main frame and the foot-board having a seat-support, of seat-braces I, fastened at their lower extremities to the foot-board by the eyebolts, wherewit-h the latter is connected to the main frame, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with'the main frame surrounding the axle and provided with a lever for raising the cutting apparatus and with a radial arm, of a foot-board and polesocket united to said frame adjacent to said axle, said union formed by eyebolts on the foot-board engaged with eyebolts upon the said frame, whereby the frame may rotate about the axle when the radial arm is raised or lowered without disturbing the foot-board, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORQE L. K. MORROW.

Witnesses:

M. 13. ODoennrurv, N. S. WRIGHT. 

